Introduction
Malala Yousafzai was a schoolgirl from Pakistan who gave a speech to the Office of the Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth and thousands of proficient grownups on her 16th birthday. The day when the speech was being conveyed was called Malala day (Yousafzai 1). The audience was gathered in the United Nations headquarters in New York City, where the girl delivered her discourse on education. The girl intended to campaign for free and compulsory education for all children. The teenager’s interest in speaking about education developed after being shot in the forehead by the Taliban with other friends on a bus from school for conflicting Taliban constraints on female education. In the speech, Yousafzai focused on ladies’ rights and girls’ education since they were the victims. The purpose of the speech was to unite and help society ensure that education becomes a right for every child.
The Success of the Speech
Yousafzai was a young Pakistani girl who valued learning most. On her 16th birthday celebration, Malala Day, she gave a speech on education at the UN headquarters in New York City. Although the girl was young, her words impacted many people’s lives (Yousafzai 1). The audience included UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, honored president of the General Assembly Vuk Jeremic, UN envoy for global education Gordon Brown, esteemed elders, and professional adults whom she referred to as brothers and sisters. The day was meant for women, boys, and girls who raised their voices to demand their rights. At the age of 15 years, the girl was shot in the forehead on a school bus with the company of other friends because the terrorists were opposing learning. Despite the shootings, Yousafzai did not give up on achieving her goals but became more courageous and powerful. The girl was not interested in revenge but felt more motivated to encourage other people on the need for education.
The girl was more interested in ensuring every child had access to free and compulsory education. Yousafzai states, “I do not know what people would expect me to say, but first of all, thank you to God, for we all are equal” (Yousafzai 2). The girl argued that she lacked words to express her happiness for getting a chance to address the audience after a long period spent in the hospital because of the Taliban attacks. The girl said that no one is more special than others before God. Therefore, everyone deserves the right to education, no matter their gender. The teenager supported the Global Education First Initiative by the UN Secretary-General Ki-Moon and had good headship from other leaders, especially in supporting education.
Yousafzai’s speech represented many social laborers and human rights campaigners struggling to attain educational, equality, and peace goals. The girl’s message to the UN representatives was that people should stop being killed by the Taliban and that every person deserves the right to live peacefully (Yousafzai 3). Yousafzai agreed when she noted, “I speak not for myself, but so that those without a voice can be heard” (Yousafzai 3).
In other words, the girl was ready to fight for weak people who deserved their rights for self-respect and fairness of job chances, education, and peace. The girl intended to educate the audience that there were children who did not have equal access to education, especially girls, and come up with an initiative to end the situation.
The activist assured the audience of education for all children by calling upon all governments to offer free and compulsory education, safeguard people against terrorism and defend children from violence and mischief. The girl argues that success cannot come if some people are held back by a lack of education (Yousafzai 3). The girl achieved her purpose of ensuring that every child had access to education because the Malala petition led to the success of Pakistan signing a 2012 Bill on the Right to Education. All children between 5 and 16 years were assured of free access to education, and parents who went against the law and employers who hired school-aged children were imprisoned.
Word Choices Used by Yousafzai
The girl uses a persistent tone, strong pathos, logos, and powerful ethos to help the audience view a girl’s education as equal to that of a boy. Yousafzai wants to assist the reader in knowing how a girl feels fighting for other girls’ education (Yousafzai 3). The teenager uses ethos by presenting herself as just a normal and a representative of other girls who yearn for education. Yousafzai agrees when she says, “I am one of them. So I stand, one girl among many” (Yousafzai 3).
In other words, the girl meant that she was ready to speak up for all girls who needed education, but their voices could not be heard for various reasons, and she was at once in that situation. The girl claims, “I am the same Malala. My ambitions are the same. My hopes are the same” (Yousafzai 3). The basis of Yousafzai’s argument is that despite the Taliban shooting her, she was still motivated to achieve her goals in education, and nobody prevented her.
The use of ethos helped the spectators to build more trust with Yousafzai. The audience got more encouraged that despite all the barriers to achieving goals, the most important thing is gaining more courage and strength to conquer (Yousafzai 3). The use of logos demonstrates facts when the girl states, “They are afraid of women. This is why they killed 14 innocent students, and this is why they kill female teachers frequently” (Yousafzai 3). In other words, Yousafzai argues that the terrorists know that women can be the best leaders in education and management, and that is why they put effort into killing the ladies—using pathos stresses the importance of having something when in a worse situation. Yousafzai states, “We realize the importance of light when we see darkness” (Yousafzai 3). The girl insists that education is needed, whether life runs smoothly or not.
In the speech, the girl argued that education should be prioritized. Yousafzai claims that “one child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can change the world” (Yousafzai 4). In this context, the girl means that education is the only solution to reducing poverty, illiteracy, and terrorism. Yousafzai stated, “I am not telling men to step away from speaking for women’s rights; rather am focusing on women to be independent to fight for themselves” (Yousafzai 3).
The girl argued that education opens up the minds of females and that they can speak for themselves to acquire rights. To express persuasive language, Yousafzai uses “we call upon” and “let us” to insist on the importance of education. The use of word choices encourages the audience to keep trying something for goal achievement no matter how many times one fails because one day, one will enjoy the fruits of their labor.
Conclusion
To conclude, Yousafzai’s speech intended to ensure that every child had access to free and compulsory education, regardless of gender. The girl aimed to fight for the rights of people who were weak and whose voices could not be heard. Yousafzai encouraged the audience that they can consistently achieve their goals by being courageous and strong no matter the situation. The girl fought to ensure that sons and daughters of terrorists acquired education because this was the only solution to poverty, terror, and illiteracy.
Works Cited
Malala Yousafzai. United Nations, New York City, New York: UN Speech on Education, 2013. (1–4).